Child custody handoff turns deadly on Christmas. Woman charged with murder, attempted murder

Staff report
Updated ·2 min read
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A 38-year-old woman faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder following a shooting on Christmas Day outside a Walgreens in northwest Gainesville.

According to the arrest report, Amanda Marie Janzen drove from her home in Alachua to the Walgreens at 3909 NW 13th St. on Monday to turn over her 11-month-old child to the child's father as part of custody agreement ordered on Dec. 20.

Janzen and the man had been in an intimate relationship since September 2021 and, shortly after the birth of the child, she had accused him of having an affair with a woman, the report said.

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Janzen arrived at the Walgreens with five children in her vehicle just before 2 p.m. Monday, according to the report, and waited with a "cocked" firearm for the victims to arrive.

After their arrival, Janzen exited her vehicle and walked around to the driver's side door where she fatally shot that woman three times, the report said. She then went back around to the passenger's side and confronted the child's father. He jumped back into the vehicle and was shot by Janzen three times, the report said.

"You made this happen!" Janzen reportedly said while shooting at him.

She then fled the scene north on Northwest 13th Street with the five children still in the vehicle. A nearby Gainesville Police Department officer heard the gunshots and witnessed the fleeing vehicle.

Janzen proceeded to lead officers from GPD, the Alachua Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff's Office on 13-mile chase that reached speeds up to 100 mph. During the chase, Janzen reportedly called 911 and said that she had shot two people. She also said that police were following her. The children in the vehicle could be heard pleading for her to stop, the report said.

After finally coming to a stop, Janzen discarded the loaded firearm from the vehicle. During her arrest, officers found two additional loaded magazines on her, the report said.

The shooting was captured on surveillance video, the report said. In addition to the murder and attempted-murder charges, Janzen also faces five counts of child neglect without great bodily harm.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Woman charged in shooting death outside Gainesville, Florida Walgreens on Christmas